Archbishop Villegas calls for prayers for peace in Marawi

“We call Catholics to pray with our Muslim Brothers and Sisters.”

In a Pastoral letter #PrayforMarawi released by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines on Tuesday, May 23, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop and CBCP President Socrates B. Villegas called on the faithful to pray for peace in Marawi City.

“The CBCP is alarmed by reports that ISIS flags now flutter over Marawi. We are fully aware that most Muslims are peace-loving. ‘Salam’ is a greeting of peace. We are also aware that ISIS has claimed responsibility for many of the atrocities in territories they have occupied elsewhere in the world,” he said.

Archbishop Villegas also called on the government to come up with the best solution in addressing the existing conflicts that was intensified by the Maute group in Marawi City.

“We call on government to deal with the threat without wavering and without compromise. We call on all Catholics to pray with our Muslim brothers and sisters. We call on the occupiers who claim to worship the same God that we all do not defile His name by bloodshed,” he said.